With nine shopping days left until Christmas, retailers are madly scrambling to pull us into stores and onto their websites for the final stretch of the holiday season.
Sears, for example, is keeping 260 of its stores open round-the-clock through Dec. 23, the Friday before Christmas.
That's nearly 30 percent of its stores, including locations in Akron, Canton, Mentor and North Olmsted.
Although the last Saturday before Christmas is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year, most stores will be touting their "Super Saturday deals" this weekend because next Saturday is Christmas Eve.
"It's now or never, baby," said consumer-spending expert C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research group in Charleston, S.C.
He said that because most people will be leaving work early or going on vacation Wednesday or Thursday, "they'll only be able to shop (this) Friday, Saturday and Sunday."
Since the Saturday before Christmas falls on Christmas Eve — a day when most stores close early and families have traditions and travel to fit in — retailers are expecting last-minute shopping to be spread out the week before Christmas, starting today, said Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation.
"We are still in the middle of December and, since the sense of urgency might not be there yet, we are expecting retailers to offer great deals and promotions to entice shoppers," she said.
Some retailers are extending store hours. Some have dubbed today "Super Saturday" and are offering door-buster savings rivaling the deals of Black Friday.
Expect advertised specials to continue to roll out right up until Christmas, Davis said.
Already the holiday shopping season has exceeded expectations, though some stores have benefited more than others. The National Retail Federation just revised its forecast, projecting holiday sales to rise 3.8 percent this year to a record $469.1 billion. The forecast in early October anticipated sales growth of 2.8 percent.
Locally, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Westroads Mall already are reporting better holiday sales than last year.
And, according to a survey conducted for the retail federation, the average person wasn't even halfway finished with shopping as of last week, and 16.5 percent hadn't even started.
If you're among the majority with shopping to do, here are some things you should know before heading out.
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